AMP GEIGER, N.C. — Three Marines have become the first women to graduate from the Corps’ tough-as-nails enlisted infantry training school in North Carolina, officials said Thursday.

The three completed the 59-day course and met the same test standards as the men, said Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Geraldine Carey.

The course includes a grueling 12-mile march with an 80-pound pack and a variety of combat fitness tests such as timed combat shuttle runs, timed ammunition container lifts and tests that simulate running under combat fire.

—Associated Press